The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Each year, landfills across the globe are saturated with waste resulting from spent beverage containers. Of particular note are used cans and bottles that once contained beer. This is because, unlike soda and water, for example, many consumers can only obtain beer in individual containers as represented by bottles and/or cans.
There are known methods for dispensing large volumes of beverages such as soda fountains, and professional grade draft beer equipment, these systems are not practical for home use by the average consumer owing to the expense, space requirements and complexity of operation. With particular regard to draft beer systems, there are home kegerator systems which allow kegs of beer to be purchased from a store, and then enjoyed at home.
Unfortunately, however, the entire keg industry suffers from several drawbacks. For example, many retailers who sell cases of beer do not offer beer kegs. This is because beer kegs are typically rented, thus requiring a deposit from the customer at the time of pickup, and a refund of the deposit at the time of return. The returned beer keg must then be thoroughly cleaned, individually filled, and stored on-premises until re-rented by another customer. Once filled, the beer keg must be stored within a particular temperature range, and for a specified time period or else the beer within will become spoiled. To this end, many large retailers do not feel that the potential profits of offering such a service justify the costs in terms of employee time and potential for spoiled product.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a self service system for dispensing high volumes of alcoholic beverages utilizing a reusable container device that does not suffer from the above noted deficiencies, and acts to reduce landfill waste products.